The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently waiting for the Election Commission to announce election dates before finalizing the schedule for the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sources have indicated that the Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been asked to finalize their home venues by the end of this week.
Elections are set to take place across various states in India, but the BCCI is awaiting the government’s announcement regarding the Assam, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal polls. The Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati will host some of the Rajasthan Royals’ home games, while the MA Chidambaram Stadium and Eden Gardens serve as home venues for the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively.
“We are working on the IPL schedule, but we are still awaiting the announcement of the election dates by the Election Commission. Once those dates are confirmed, we will be able to draw up a schedule that does not disrupt the election process or clash with matches in the poll-bound states, ensuring smooth conduct of both,” a BCCI source stated.
Recently, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) received approval to host IPL and international matches at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru again, though this permission comes with specific terms and conditions prescribed by the government and relevant authorities.
“As far as the home venues of RCB and RR are concerned, we have asked the franchises to take a final call and inform us within a week. Once the teams finalize their venues, we will prepare the schedule accordingly. So, at this stage, we are waiting for the teams’ decisions as well as the announcement of the election dates,” the source added.
The formal approval for marquee cricket fixtures to return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has ended months of uncertainty following a tragic incident during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 title-winning celebrations on June 4, which resulted in eleven fatalities and 56 injuries.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, the BCCI moved several major events away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium, including the Duleep Trophy, the India–South Africa men’s A series, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, and the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, along with its final.
Hosting matches at this venue again was contingent upon implementing recommendations from the Justice Michael D’Cunha report, which was established as part of the investigation into the incident.
The KSCA faced administrative challenges as well, having operated without a treasurer and secretary for months due to their resignations following the incident. Last year, a panel led by Venkatesh Prasad took charge, focusing on bringing matches back to this iconic cricket venue.
With the state government’s clearance now in place, it will be interesting to see if RCB will play all its IPL 2026 home games in Chinnaswamy, especially considering that its vice-president Rajesh Menon recently met Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai about potentially playing two games at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Naya Raipur.
On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals’ home venue issue for IPL 2026 arises from administrative problems within the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA). The BCCI has warned the franchise that a backup venue, like Pune’s MCA Stadium, may be necessary, as Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium faces uncertainty due to the RCA’s failure to conduct elections, which is affecting the smooth hosting of matches despite efforts to retain Jaipur as the venue.
Therefore, the BCCI is pending decisions from RCB and RR regarding their venues before finalizing the IPL schedule.